


Doki Doki Katawa Ronpa

by Deleted_User



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel), Katawa Shoujo
Genre: EXECUTIONS AHAHA, Gen, However I recommend you play the games first, I will be doing twists that play off of the ones in the games (dr2 style), I will murder your favorite characters., I will try to not be biased towards my favorite characters, Multi, OH WAIT there will be spoilers for Katawa Shoujo and DDLC probably, Please do danganronpa is great, but it plays into the story, im putting hella effort into making the mysteries good, mysteries af, no explicit spoilers, or will i, romance but not the focus, there is an overarching mega secret
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-08-19 02:05:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16525205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deleted_User/pseuds/Deleted_User
Summary: The casts of DDLC and Katawa Shoujo are placed into a killing game! Why? Uh find out by reading I guess. That's kinda the overarching mystery.How did the DDLC cast end up at Yamaku? Why is Yamaku so weird? Why are both MC and Hisao here? Why are people experiencing memory loss? Why are Hisao and Natsuki so sassy?Each chapter will by split up by days, with some deviation. I will probably upload things slowly and will likely update previous chapters if I feel it is needed. I have A LOT of plans for this. But each individual case undergoes like 1-3 rewrites before I consider it good enough.I have a handful of days written ahead of what is posted too.Honestly it's just taking forever to write all the free-times leading up to the murder. Apparently I can write murders just fine but not regular human interactions. Somebody call freud.Tide life, tide death, I shall complete this story, eventually.





	1. Chapter 0: Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I am going to expect you to already know
> 
> a) a bit of general info about the characters  
> b) the basic danganronpa premise
> 
> The intro is kinda rushed because it's not particularly necessary. Also, I wanna get to the good stuff, sue me. 
> 
> Please read at least the second section (days 1+2) before judging too much. Actually, the strong point is probably gonna be the trials so at least see the first murder.

 

_mic check_

 

_the letters, words keep fluttering around my mind, forming, becoming…_

 

_the world is… paper—_

 

_my head — empty._

 

_places, everyone!_

 

_i am blank — the white screen projected upon…_

 

_…_

 

_lights!_

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

I woke up staring at a blank white screen. Did I fall asleep in class again? Dammit. I still feel… sleepy. I lacked any time to think, though, as a projector shot bright lights onto the screen. I squinted, Plain black letting — lucida grande? — appeared on a white background. It read:

 

'Please remain calm. Welcome to the stage of Yamaku Academy.'

 

What the heck does that mean? Fortunately, I don’t have much time to dwell on it as the words change with a click.

 

'Each one of you is here for a reason. Despite complications, we hope you enjoy your final semester of high school. Do not attempt to leave the building.'

 

 Now things were weird. What kind of message was that? The whole thing was just… out of this world. Complications? And I’m here for—

 

***RIIIP***

 

A load tearing sound permeated the room, as a black and white teddy bear launched itself through the projector screen.

 

“Welcome, welcome! I am Monokuma, and I will be your headmaster for this semester of killing!”

 

THAT woke me up. What am I looking at? My head turned and hastily scanned the room for anything more tangible. People. Students. Behind me was a classroom, full of desks, full of students — 12 others if I counted correctly. Alright, that doesn’t really help me understand what’s going on. Supports the theory that I fell asleep in class though. I returned my gaze to the teddy bear — Monokuma, who was standing in the hole in the screen, apparently waiting for any kind of reaction. None came.

 

“Oh come on! If everyone’s already super depressed, I’m out of a job!”

 

To my left, a brown-haired boy about my age spoke up, “What the hell is this? Wow, I’d think a school for the disabled would be a little less tasteless with their jokes.”

 

“This is no joke young man! And I’m afraid you’re not here for schooling—”

 

“Oh, good. I was almost rather perplexed,” sighed an older-looking girl in the back with flowing purple hair.

 

“No! Be confused! Be afraid! For I, the glorious and widely-adored Monokuma am here to sagely guide you in the art of despair! Now, before there are any more rude interruptions: the rules. First off, nobody here is allowed to leave the school! Rule number two! If you want to leave the school, you must MURDER a fellow classmate!”

The bear began pacing back and forth, “Don’t think it’s *that* easy though, rule number three: One who murders a fellow student is designated as the blackened. After a short period of time after body is found, I will hold a CLASS TRIAL for everyone to debate and vote on who the killer is! Rule number four: If the trial correctly determines the blackened, the blackened alone will be executed! But if the blackened evades discovery… they are freed and everyone *else* will be executed! Upupu! I have given each of you a student handbook with which you may review the rules at any time, along with any updates to the rules and a few other nifty features. There's a few other minor rules, so I recommend you look it over. Now, I’ll leave you all to explore the school for yourselves now. Buh bye!”

 

“Hang on,” a pissed-looking girl in the back asked, “you just drop all that info on us and walk away? Just what makes you think we’re gonna kill each other?”

 

“Aha! Excellent question! I will return in a number of days to provide you all with... _a motive_. But now, I really gotta go do bear things. See you around!”

 

And with that, the evil entity of inspiring enmity known as Monokuma introduced himself and departed. The room was quiet for a bit. It was a lot to take in, to be fair. Well, for me it was. I really wasn't sure what to think. Was this some kind of joke like the other boy said? Nothing adds up, even if it is a joke. Or maybe I'll just need to accept things at face value. After all, I can't imagine why I would be here at a school for the disabled. I found myself agreeing with pink girl too. I don't know any murderous high school students. At least, not yet anyways. But I'm not too worried. It's not like I had much of an attachment to my old high school anyways. Or, much of anything. As much as I hate to say it, maybe something crazy happening in my life wouldn't be too bad. Beats sitting around watching anime.

 

“Hey, um… you! Yes, you! The one who always buys me food but whose name I can't remember!”

 

“Hm…?”

 

I turned around to see that mostly everyone had already left, presumably to explore the school. All except Sayori, my clumsy childhood best friend. She wore a red bow in her hair and a bright smile on her face, along with a school blazer she refused to button.

 

“Oh, good morning Sayori.”

 

“Hmmf! How come you can remember my name but I can't remember yours? We're supposed to be best friends!”

 

“Dunno, probably because you never pull your head down from wherever it floats off too. Just so you know, it's—”

 

My name.

 

_[My name.]_

 

What? What is it? Why can't I remember my name? It's my own name for God's sake! I'm… I'm… Wow. Maybe there really is something wrong with me. Maybe that’s what Monokuma meant by “here for a reason.” I focus. Hard. I have memories of the past. Of Sayori. But my name just… sounds like...         _st.atic...n.oi.se._.

 

“Huh? Ehehe… can you really not remember either? Oh… oh you. The e-handbooks Mr. Monokuma gave us have a map of the school and also a list of all the students here! Your name should be in there.”

 

“We got handbooks?”

 

“Yeah, we did! Remember?”

 

“I think I fell asleep…”

 

“Ehehe, it looks like I'm a bad influence on you.”

 

My focus shifts to the desk, and I pick up a black tablet that apparently I had been resting my head on. I tap a button and the screen lights up. With Sayori’s help, we navigate to the student list. For some reason they aren’t alphabetized, so it takes me a little while to find it. Emi Ibarazaki, “Misha” Mikado, Yuri, Shizune Hakamichi…

 

“M.C.?”

 

“It’s just my initials?”

 

“Huh. That’s funny. Hey! They forgot my last name!”

 

“Which is?”

 

“Uh it’s... uwa! Why… why can’t I remember?”

 

“Clearly something weird is going on.”

 

“No shit sherlock.” Both of our heads turned to the boy standing by the door, leaning against the wall. “Ah, sorry. I’m just pissed off that somebody thinks they can screw with us like this. First time back at school after months in the hospital. What a warm welcome. This was _supposed_ to be my first day of my new life.” He sighed.

 

“Oh, sorry about that.”

 

“Yeah. It blows." He looked at his feet. I wasn't quite sure how to respond. "Anyways, crappy introductions aside, I’m Hisao Nakai.”

 

“At least you got your name down. More than I can say. Call me MC I guess.”

 

“And I’m Sayori!”

 

“I was thinking I would feel more at home in a library, so I was gonna go looking around. You two wanna come with?”

 

“Sure. Sayori?”

 

“Of course!”


	2. Chapter 1: A Stab in the Dark (Day 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which MC says hello to a bunch of people. He also tries to figure out what's going on. Spaghetti is made if you're a fan of that.

 

**CHAPTER 1: A STAB IN THE DARK**

 

~~~~~~~~

_Day 1 Begins—_

~~~~~~~~

 

And on that note, I finally left the classroom to explore Yamaku in our new trio. I think I’ve always wanted to be part of a trio.

It was a little past 9:00 am when we began our exploration. Sayori, Hisao, and I explored as much of the first floor as we could, but many doors were surprisingly locked. Or, while in a normal school they would be locked unsurprisingly, they matched our surprising circumstances. The main entrance doors were locked shut with a steel girder bolted across them. All the windows were similarly stuck shut, trapping us inside.

The main doors to the school building lead into a long hallway with stout marble pillars and short stairs. On the left, the locked headmaster's office, and the locked nurse’s office on the right. Parallel to the main walkway on the left and right sides were stairs going up to the currently-locked second floor. At the end of the entry-hallway were a set of double-doors leading into the cafeteria. The main building’s interior layout was like a big, square figure-eight with the large cafeteria being the room in the middle and the entrance hall sticking out from the side.

Within the cafeteria, two hallways continued to the left and two to the right from the corners of the room. There was also a big out-of-order elevator on the wall opposite the entrance. Entering the hallway from the immediate right corner lead to the male dorms, a bathroom, turning, then the female dorms, turning, a cozy lounge and then eventually looping back around to the opposite right corner. The immediate left corner hall looped around in the same way.

This left wing contained most of the interesting rooms, besides the cafeteria and accompanying kitchen. The left loop had branching-off rooms: the classroom everyone woke up in, a few other locked classrooms, a small tea room, an A/V room, a storage closet with classroom supplies, a miniature museum room, and to Hisao’s pleasure, a modest library.

 

[ ](https://imgbb.com/)

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

Now, a few minutes before 12:00, most everyone was assembled in the cafeteria for an early lunch. It would make sense for everyone to be hungry though. It appeared that a short girl with pink hair, Natsuki, had already been preparing food. Hisao, Sayori, and I approached the kitchen counter where a taller girl stood. Hisao was the first to speak.

 

“Hello! Enough for three more?”

 

“Oh, certainly.” She called out behind her, “Natsuki, three more orders please!” And turned back to face us. “I don’t think I recognize your voice. It is best if we get acquainted with everyone here, so more of a proper greeting is in order. I am Lilly Satou, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

“Hisao Nakai.”

 

“Sayori!”

 

“MC…”

 

Lily raised an inquisitive eyebrow over her cloudy blue eyes. Hisao quickly explained, “Both he and Sayori are experiencing some kind of memory loss, with Sayori unable to remember her last name and MC unable to remember his name at all.”

 

“Ah. I believe Natsuki mentioned suffering from something similar. Speaking of which—”

 

“Yeah yeah, here’s your food.”

 

Natsuki strutted up to the counter next to Lily and presented us with three ceramic bowls full of a vegetable and noodle soup. We thanked the two of them and began pondering the eternal riddle of where to sit. Everyone was at the same table except for one boy with huge glasses and a long scarf who sat in the far corner. At the main table, a large group sat in the middle. A girl with short blue hair sat directly next to a pink-haired girl with drills, and across from them sat yet another girl, her flowing brown hair in a ponytail. On one side of them—nearer the boy with the scarf—two more girls sat, chatting enthusiastically, the smaller one with blond twintails and the other with short, messy red hair wearing a boy’s uniform and… with stumps where arms would usually be, the shirt tied at the ends. On closer inspection, the blond girl was kicking her two prosthetic legs. That must be what “school for the disabled” meant.

On the further side of the table sat, of course, two more girls opposite each other. Both had purple hair that stretched down their backs. Neither was speaking. Naturally, _this_ is where Sayori picked—with possibly the only two people in the room who wished to be alone.

 

“Hi! I’m Sayori! Mind if we sit here?”

 

The shorter of the two (and with darker hair) looked up, absolutely mortified. The girl sitting opposite her seemed uncomfortable as well and quickly looked around, “What? Sorry, oh… here? Certainly, it’s fine. ...My name is Yuri, by the way.”

We finally sat down to eat the food Natsuki and Lilly had prepared. Waiting for the soup to cool, we all introduced ourselves properly. Except the other girl. Now that I was closer, I could see… burn scars… from behind her hair on the right side of her face. Peculiarly, she also had two bowls of soup. She nervously eyed all three of us. Before she could say anything, a thunderous voice boomed from down the table. The girl with pink drills stood up, rapidly making hand gestures.

 

“HELLO EVERYONE! I would like to welcome Shicchan~ Wahaha~ Sorry, Miss Shizune Hakamichi, your student council president!” Shizune, with blue hair and glasses, stood up as well and bowed, before also gesturing in sign language. “As she is deaf, I am Misha! Her translator. So, here’s Shicchan’s empowering speech: Now, everyone, I know we seem to be wrapped up in a disturbing situation, so I, Shizune Hakamichi, as the student council president, shall be our impromptu-leader! Are there any objections?”

 Nobody appeared to have any, so the two barreled onwards, “Alright! Now, I don’t care what any strange-looking bear has to say, there will be no murders here. To be honest, it’s just totally absurd. Hahaha! To preserve order, we will hold a morning and evening meeting here for breakfast and dinner. Despite the circumstances, we hope you all have a pleasant experience. Thank you!”

 

The two bowed again and sat down. Huh. If I’m to be honest, this whole situation is just a confusing mess. It might be nice to have someone responsible as a leader. Shortly after Misha finished speaking, we heard a voice desperately trying to hide its existence. “Lilly?”

“Ah, Hanako.” Lilly, who was working the food counter before, strode to us in a manner both graceful and clumsy. In one hand was a cane, clicking against the tile. Ah, she must be blind. Lilly felt the table as she walked and seemed to be following the burned girl’s—Hanako, apparently—voice, rather than looking. Her hand reached Hanako’s shoulder and she joined us.

 

“Hanako, who do we have the pleasure of dining with?”

 

Hisao quickly picked up, “Hisao, Sayori, and M.C. from the counter, as well as Yuri. Hello.”

 

“It is certainly nice to make your acquaintance.”

 

We spent the duration of lunch talking with Lilly and Yuri. Lilly found it preposterous that any one of us could kill another. However, Yuri speculated that our circumstances hadn't gotten as dire as they could yet, and pressures could arrive. Sayori just wanted to be friends with everyone.

Curiously, Lilly retained several years worth of memories of Yamaku. Apparently, yes, it was a school accommodating for students with physical disabilities. Besides the obvious changes, apparently this building has a completely different layout, yet a few of the same rooms. But if this place wasn't the real Yamaku, what was it?

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

After finishing lunch, Sayori went off to meet more people. Hisao and I accompanied Lilly and Hanako to the tea room, but broke off as Hisao was eager to check out the library.

The room, wide but not tall, continued back like a vast ocean, deep blue carpet covering the floor. Rows of bookshelves stretched across the walls, small alcoves housed bean bags, and two central tables sat at the center of the left and right thirds of the room. I spotted Yuri sitting at the right table, silently reading. Hisao whispered, “MC, c’mon.” We headed to the left branch and began searching the shelves. Reading’s not really my thing. Hisao, however, quickly found a book and took a beanbag. A little out of my element, I asked,

 

“Are we just gonna read here?”

 

“No, it's cover so we can talk about your friend with the bow.”

 

“You could at least remember her name.”

 

“I'm joking. Romance is a deadly thing, you know.”

 

“What? You sound like a poet.”

 

But our conversation was cut short by a vibrant pair entering the library. Shizune signed something to Misha, who hence announced,

 

“YURI!”

 

“Oh, um, yes?”

 

The two waltzed up to the table and Misha dropped a box onto it, landing with a thud.

 

“Will you battle Shizune in Risk?”

 

“...Why me?”

 

“You look smart and she wants a challenge.”

 

“Ah. It was a rhetorical question…”

 

Shizune appeared amused, while Misha just performed her signature ~Wahaha~ as the two sat down opposite Yuri, unboxing the board game. They unfolded a board modeled after the world, then produced dice, and finally placed colored wooden pieces across the board. I watched them play. Yuri seemed apprehensive at first, but soon enough both were deep in thought and Misha looked thoroughly entertained.

Eventually I submitted and picked up a book. It was kinda hard to get into. I wasn't that invested. Soon, I felt myself drifting off… No. I need to stay awake. An intense feeling struck me suddenly. Like a slap to the face. I mean, there's no way anyone here could commit murder... but I need to be on top of things. Just in case.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the student handbook. I booted it up and my initials were once again displayed: M.C. I navigated to the rules section of the handbook.

 

“Additional rules: The headmaster (Monokuma) shall dispense due punishment for breaking of said rules.

 

-Students are only allowed to sleep in the dorms.

-Nighttime is from 10pm to 7am.

-Violence against headmaster Monokuma will result in due punishment.

-Additional sections of the school may be opened in the event that a murder takes place.

-The headmaster may introduce a motive at any time.

-Destruction of the building will result in harsh punishment. However, destruction of items, objects, or furniture is permitted.

-In the case of multiple murders in quick succession, only the first surviving murderer will be the blackened.”

 

Huh. A motive? For the murders? What on Earth could Monokuma do to actually get us to kill each other? I peered back to the game of Risk. Yuri and Shizune were staring at each other intensely, the latter wearing an intimidating smirk. Misha started to look bored. I guess Risk is a long game.

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

After Yuri's victory and Misha’s declaration of a rematch, I left the library. Dinner should be soon. I jogged to the cafeteria, but found it empty. I was more focused on food and meeting people earlier, so I decided to look around a little more.

The cafeteria was much taller than all the other rooms. High up, above the broken elevator, a grand analog clock displayed 5pm. Nine clean stone tables, edges rounded and similar benches attached, all filled the spacious room. Most of the tables were smaller and circular, while the center one was long and rectangular.

Nobody's here yet. Maybe they were thinking of a later dinner? I turned around to find—

 

“Monokuma!?”

 

“Oh hey there… _MC_. Have you been enjoying your time at Yamaku so far?”

 

I hesitated to answer. “What are you?”

 

“I'm a bear, silly! Can't you tell?”

 

“I... I guess.”

 

“You know MC, I really do want you to have a good time here. So have fun! Talk to people! Throw a party! Maybe even embark on some… romantic exploits?”

 

“What!? No, of course not. Well... I'm not going to deny there's a bunch of cute girls here, but given the circumstances, it feels weird. And apart from Sayori, I've only just met most of these people.”

 

“C’mon! It makes good tv. Gets people invested. You can't be naive forever. Well, maybe _you_ can, upupupu…”

 

Monokuma backed away, continuing to chuckle. Was he going for some kinda dramatic effect? I dunno. I watched him back all the way out of the cafeteria and around the corner, hands over his mouth the whole way. Like a... evil monochrome forklift.

Anyways, considering nobody’s here yet, maybe I could help prepare food early. I mean, I haven’t done much cooking before, but I can learn. I didn’t think very far before I saw Natsuki. She navigated past me into the doorway beside the counter connecting the kitchen with the cafeteria. I followed. I planted my shoes on the white floor tiles and coughed to get Natsuki’s attention.

 

“What’re you doing here? Gonna help?”

 

“Oh, uh, yeah.”

 

“Then don’t screw up too badly and do what I tell you to.”

 

Maybe this was why nobody else wanted to help with cooking. Natsuki shot into action, having us both wash our hands and then ordering me to gather various pots and pans, followed by various ingredients from the attached storeroom. She nearly slammed them down onto the stove. She poured water into a gigantic metal pot and turned on the heat. We were having some sort of fancy spaghetti for dinner, apparently. After a little time, it was just the two of us waiting for the spaghetti to cook in the boiling pot. Stirring was an easy but tedious job, so Natsuki had me do it, of course.

 

“Honestly, I don’t know how they expect me alone to cook meals for thirteen people every single day. I hope at least one of us bites the dust, less work for me.”

 

Ignoring her joke, I responded, “What about Lilly?”

 

“Lilly can work the counter fine, but obviously can’t help me cook, idiot. I mean, she probably feeds herself somehow at home, but this may be a little out of her league.”

 

I thought for a moment. Possibly the strangest thing… has gotta be that one phrase “school for the disabled.” It just stops everything else from making sense. What am I doing here? Why are there no staff? Don't Rin and Lilly and the others need, well, assistance for their disabilities? And on top of that, I don't think I've seen anything here yet that would characterize it like that. No hospital, physical therapy rooms, counselors… Did the library even have Braille books? Maybe I just missed them.

 

"Hey airhead, you can stop stirring now."

 

"Oh."

 

Natsuki threw a large metal spoon full of holes my way. "It'll be fastest if we both dish this out onto plates, come on."

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

Natsuki and I finished and served the spaghetti. It was surprisingly okay, considering my culinary experience is limited to microwave ramen. Her final verdict was that although I could have done better, she was grateful for the extra pair of hands. She fortunately released me for the day, but expected me to continue pulling my own weight.

I sat with Sayori and Hisao again, but they were already rapt in conversation with a girl I already recognized as Monika. Her flowing brown hair, tied up in a bow. Her sparkling emerald eyes. I knew I recognized her. From class… that I don't remember. Where did I go for school before I came here? It… doesn't matter. Not now, anyway. Yuri was here again, just eating by herself, so I elected to strike a conversation with her.

 

“Hey Yuri.”

 

“What!? Oh, yes, hello. MC.” Her eyes darted around. “Do you wish to talk to me?”

 

“Of course. I feel like I've seen you around before, and I’d like to get to know my classmates better.”

 

“Before? Like, at school before? It's possible, but I don't recollect much aside from this being… sometime during third year. Which means… we must have gone to school prior to whatever is going on now. Oh, sorry, you probably wanted a more pleasant discussion.”

 

“Aha, it's alright. So, uh, what kinda things do you like?”

 

“Well I like reading. I think we were both in the library together earlier today. I’m interested in any story with depth, but horror is probably my favorite genre.”

 

“Horror? Really?”

 

“Ah, I know it's a little… intense… sor—”

 

“Oh, no! I didn't mean to make that seem negative. Horror is cool.”

 

“Hmm. Are you much of a reader?”

 

“Not really, aha. I like horror though, I'm experienced with movies and games. I went to a haunted house once too, but it was kinda cheesy."

 

“Well, hopefully that pays off, seeing as we've been cast into our own horror scenario. What I just can't fathom is why.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Well Monokuma must have a motive, right? What does he serve to benefit from this killing game?”

 

“That's a good question. Although considering your extensive knowledge of horror, you're probably ready for anything.”

 

"Ahaha."

 

Yuri and I talked a bit more before everyone began to wander off. She seems smart and gets really into topics when her timidity isn’t holding her back. Monokuma hasn't announced a strict curfew, but I feel like turning in early. I wandered to my dorm. The room was about what you would expect from a boarding school dorm.

Tan carpet, dark brown bed sheets. There was a wide dresser under a window, metal-plated like the rest. I opened the top dresser drawer to find copies of my brown uniform. Clean clothes. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad.

I'm tired of mysteries for now. Actually, I'm just tired. Sleep. Sleep is good. I think I will do that. And thus, the curtain closed on day one of our killing school life.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day one ends! Don't worry, MC will get to hang out with the other characters in day 2. He'll also check out the other rooms on the map. I'll upload it once I've finished editing.
> 
> The first murder is already completely planned, waiting to be written into a trial, so beware. Hopefully it's good.


	3. Chapter 1: A Stab in the Dark (Day 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hisao tells a lie; MC launches an investigation; Emi and Rin help, more or less. A conflict arises in the group.

~~~~~~~~

_Day 2 Begins—_

~~~~~~~~

 

I woke up late, but still feeling like I’d barely slept at all. I think Monokuma has a morning announcement, but I clearly slept through it. Craaaap. I blink a few times, then rub my eyes. The covers were just so warm though. And heavy. I can just stay here, right? It's not like anybody needs me. And I'm not in any danger either. I shut my eyes and sink into the bed.

 

_*Knock knock knock*_

 

Somebody at the door? I should probably do something about that then. Okay. “Coming!” I call. Rising out of bed, I throw on my brown blazer and stride to the door hastily. I open it to find Hisao.

 

“Hey MC. You’re late for breakfast, Sayori asked me to come get you.”

 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, right. Breakfast.”

 

I drowsily follow Hisao through the geometrically winding hallways. So… exhausted. How do people wake up early? _Maybe by not staying up all night watching anime._ Okay, but I didn’t do that last night. Oh well. We entered the cafeteria.

Everyone was spread around the room, most of them more or less awake. Sayori, lighting up at my arrival, waved to us—Hisao and I walked over to her side table and sat down.

 

“Good morning sleepy-head!” Sayori cheerfully teased, “I saved you some breakfast! It’s a little cold though.”

 

“Oh? Thanks Sayori.”

 

Scrambled eggs and toast. I don’t know if I could eat that every day, but for now it’s fine. The three of us eat breakfast, but Hisao eventually leaves early with Shizune and Misha. Sayori waits patiently for me to finish. I may not remember much, but I do know what a sweet friend she is. I’m still surprisingly tired, so I just listen to her talk about whatever catches her fancy. How Monokuma looks too cute and it’s a shame he’s such a meanie, or how pretty Lilly is despite her blindness—is that insensitive?—and how sorry she is to have maybe offended Lilly because she’s so cool and collected, kinda like Monika.

Sayori chatters on, “I'm so grateful to be able to meet so many new friends here! Even if the setting isn't ideal... Everyone here’s just too nice—well, most of the time at least—to deserve to have to go through this.” I’m okay just listening to her though. It brightens my mood and day. Yeah, that’s right. I should go do something today.

 

“Hey Sayori, wanna see if there’s anything helpful we can do today? Like, mystery-solving wise.”

 

“Uwa! Super sorry MC, I already had plans to hang out with Lilly and Hanako today. I’m super excited to try some of Lilly’s home-brewed tea!”

 

“Ah, it’s fine. You should have fun. I’ll see you around then.”

 

I put away my dishes and Sayori skips off to the tea room. I guess I’ll investigate alone then. No point in being useless when we’ve got a psychopathic teddy bear to defeat. Where to start though? Our area is somewhat limited. Assuming time isn’t a concern though, I should be able to observe the place thoroughly. Maybe—

 

“C’mon RIn! Try to keep up better than that! Oh, coming through!”

 

***CRASH***

 

I think was just hit by a speeding steam train. My head is spinning. I shake it. Oh, I’m on the ground now. Apparently along with a short blond girl profusely apologizing and waving her hands frantically, trying to help me back to my feet. After regaining my bearings, I take her hand and stand up.

“Sorry!" She spins her attention, "RIN! Why didn’t you warn me some poor boy was in the way?”

 

Another girl, Rin, sporting red hair, deep green eyes, and… no arms wandered over from the other side of the cafeteria. Her shirt was tied into knots a little below the shoulders.

 

“Oh. I figured you would have run into him either way. Like those Greek myths where the people try to change their fate only for them trying to stop it to cause the prophecy to come true. Or time travel movies that are basically the same thing.”

 

Emi stuck her tongue out and turned back to me.

 

“I’m really sorry! Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah, I think I’m fine.”

 

“Well that’s good. Ya see, I was racing Rin around the school but she wouldn’t run very fast so I had to turn around and encourage her but then I wasn’t looking where I was going. Ehehe. Were you going somewhere?”

 

“Well, I was planning on doing some more in-depth investigations around the place.”

 

“Ooooh! Hey, let me and Rin come too!”

 

“Sure.”

 

And thus, the new party of Emi, Rin, and I departed to uncover the mysteries of Yamaku. The offices were locked, so the museum should be a good place to start. The room was a total outlier from everywhere else. We maneuvered through the halls, passing by the locked classrooms and storage. Two pairs of footsteps and a set of clicks from Emi’s prosthetics echoed through the hallway behind us. Before long, we reached the museum.

In sharp contrast to the sterile whites and blue-greys and browns of the main school, the museum was formed of sand-colored weathered bricks. Kinda like an ancient Egyptian temple or something. The room had a wide entryway, opening into an impressive yet small room. At the center, a glass and wood display case housed what appeared to be ancient relics—it was a museum after all.

Crimson curtains lined the parallel side walls. This grand display built up one vertical case in the middle. It almost went up to my head. Within the glass case, an elegant blade lay raised on a metal pedestal. Its blue and rose patterned handle with a small  pale skull was as eye-catching as the glint of the blade itself. The case was shut tight with a single metal lock on the side.

 

“Wow. Chekhov’s gun much?” Emi had clearly spotted it too.

 

“What on Earth is _this_ doing in a school?”

 

“I know. It's bound to wind up a murder weapon.”

 

“Should we get everyone together and get rid of it?”

 

“Ab-so-lutely not!”

 

We all jumped at Monokuma's sudden appearance behind us, standing atop the middle display. He shook his fist, “This precious one-of-a-kind artifact is in a museum for a reason! It’s worth more than all of your organs harvested and sold on the black market, so don’t even think about defiling it! Destroying this knife would be like drawing a moustache on the Mona Lisa!”

 

Rin apparently had been listening, “Didn't someone actually do that?”

 

“Besides the point! No breaking the knife, morons.”

 

And with that, Monokuma calmly strolled out, leaving Emi scratching her head. Meanwhile, Rin went back to poking at the side curtains with her foot. “Hmm…”

 

Emi and I continued looking around the small museum. I peered closer at the middle case we overlooked before, while she pondered a nearby painting.

The specific items in the case were strange. Foreign-looking coins—faded gold… peeling to reveal silver underneath? A handful of collector coffee spoons were haphazardly strewn about within the case as well. They didn't seemed less like museum artifacts and more like gift shop trinkets.

Nearby lay brown photographs. On closer inspection, they weren't photos. They were… drawings? So these must be fake. One of them featured a character that looked oddly like Sayori. Old and faded, but it was undoubtedly her. Definitely… weird.

Another one depicted the outside of Yamaku. But not the one we knew. In the near-photorealistic drawing, a gorgeous sun hung in the blue sky, shining down on a lofty red brick building, adorned with lush greenery. The school seems big, too. It's hard to tell, but I can almost make out auxiliary buildings attached. Maybe there's more to the school that we haven't seen yet? I wonder...

 

My train of thought was halted by a different train, flicking herself about the room. Emi called out, “Rin? Riiiin?”

 

Rin had vanished out of thin air.

 

 Gone. Emi told me Rin often wandered off, but… this was uncanny. My gaze went to where she last stood—the red curtains. The spot was vacant. Although, I spotted… something poking out from under them. I cautiously stepped across the floor. Step. Step. I planted my feet in front of the curtain.

Did something bad happen? There’s no way that… she was murdered? I quickly dispelled the thought. Slowly, I reached for the edge of the curtain and grasped it. Slowly. Slowly.

And then my heart rate took off. Frantically, I swept the curtain to the side.

 

...

 

“Boo.”

 

I stood face to face with Rin, who wore a small smile.

 

“Was that supposed to frighten me?”

 

“Maybe. Are you frightened? That's okay. It's understandable considering we’ve been imprisoned by a murderous teddy bear. Stressful situations sometimes frighten me too, such as ordering breakfast at Denny's.”

 

“You know what I meant.”

 

“Yes. You foiled my plans to surprise Emi. The trap I laid for her was sprung by you. How unfortunate.”

 

“RIIIIIIN!”

 

I was shoved to the floor by Emi for the second time today as she dove on top of an unsurprised Rin. They both crashed to the floor too in a mix of ows and grunts. I landed on my ass. Dusting my legs off, I slowly stood up and proceeded to shake them out. I probably should have said something to the pair tangled on the floor but something else caught my attention.

 

“Hey Rin, have you painted anything since we got here?”

 

Rin looked up at me. Her eyes were vacant for a moment, but then she furrowed her brow.

 

“I tried to draw Emi using the spaghetti from last night, but I think that’s it. There aren’t any art supplies here. Although anything can be used to make art, I find some mediums to be better suited to the task than others. Although, spaghetti probably depicts Emi more accurately than paint.”

 

I was bewildered for a second, then just focused on the useful part of that dialogue.

 

“What’s this doing here then?”

 

Emi and Rin rose from the ground to look at the painting, hidden in a small alcove behind the curtain in the museum. There was maybe two or three feet of space, hiding a painting. The golden plaque read: “At her Emi-est. Tezuka, Rin.” Next to the letters, part of the plaque had been scratched out. Whatever it had said before was now unreadable.

But the painting itself may have been the strangest part. It was yellow-y and brown. A ring of browner yellow with a dash of whiter yellow tracing it with intense speed. The stationary painting appeared to be moving. Despite its apparent abstractness, the subject of the painting was clear as day. Emi.

Rin frowned. She stared at the painting and frowned some more.

 

...

 

 

“I painted this. I don't know when.”

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

Still with some time left in the day, I decided to continue my thorough search. What the hell could that painting mean? Does Rin know more than she's letting on? Hmm.

I continued thinking to myself as I entered the AV room. Just nextdoor to the museum, it was small and coated in layers of dust any geologist would be excited to examine. Dark brown walls and dark brown shelves were illuminated by Lilly's elegant figure. Her golden hair was parted by a set of bulky headphones. I guess she can't hear me then. I don't want to bother her if she's busy.

Besides the various storage objects, a long table houses various outdated tech-y items. There's a VHS player, hooked up to a bulky old TV, with a bigger box than screen. Next to it rests—coated with dust—some sort of device covered in dials, kinda like something you'd see in a lighting booth at a theater—or like a radio broadcasting tower. A blue piece of tape has a few words written on it in sharpie.

 

DO NOT TOUCH

 

Okay, guess I won't touch it then.

I poke at the shelves that make the room more cramped than it has any right to be. Rows of audio recorders and headphones and even a few cameras fill the shelves. Hmm. I turn back to Lilly and see she's sitting at a desk in front of a shelf-wide audio library. Numerous faded cassette tapes line the wall. They're hard to read, but I guess Lilly can't read them anyways. I tap her shoulder.

 

“Hey, Lilly?”

 

Lilly removed the headphones and turned to face me. She frowned contemplatively.

 

“To whom am I speaking?”

 

“Oh! Sorry. It's MC.”

 

Lilly switched her expression to a smile.

 

“You don't need to be sorry. Did you need me for anything?”

 

“I'm looking around for any useful info about our situation. Do you think these tapes could hold a clue?”

 

“Hmm. No, I don't believe so. I can't read the titles so I've been picking them somewhat randomly, but the ones I have found seem to be mainly audiobooks. This one is rather entertaining. You're free to take a look if you would like, however.”

 

“Nah, I think I’ll be alright. Thanks though.”

 

After a final once-over of the room, I left back into the hallway. Investigating is a lot more tiring than I expected. Maybe I can just hit the lounge next? Yeah. Good idea. Investigating and relaxing.

I strode through the halls, passing by the Shizune-Misha-Yuri cluster and a few other pairs along the way. Eventually, I arrive at the right wing and then the lounge. The room was filled with comfy chairs, couches, pillows, and a few tables. A nice place to relax for sure. A large but empty hearth lay opposite the door. And in a corner of the room, sat a small girl.

Ah, that must be Hanako. She seems to have already noticed me. As she scans me up and down from her chair in the far corner of the room, she pulls her book up to just under her eyes. I don’t think she’ll bother me much.

I crash on the main blue couch, letting out a sigh. How the hell did I even get myself into this mess? My memories of the past are hazy at best… something to do with Sayori, and I remember Monika. Something… important. I have important information in here somewhere, but how to get it out?

I pull out a light brown notebook I grabbed from the supply closet, along with a few pens and pencils. I lay it down on the coffee table. “Hmm…” I tap the pen to my chin. “Aha!” I yank the cap off of a blue pen and write on the cover of the notebook.

 

YAMAKU INVESTIGATIVE JOURNAL

 

That’ll do until I can think of a better title. I open to the first page.

 

~~~

 

Day 2

Weird Things

-Can’t remember names

-”School for the disabled”

-Other memory loss

-Monokuma?

-Uniform differences

-Everything about the museum

-Out of order elevator?

-Outdated tech?

 

~~~

 

I’ll have to think a little harder than that. None of these have obvious clues or solutions.

 

“Aha, hello MC.”

 

I turn to see Monika stride over and take a seat next to me. Her eyes widen as she spots the open book, “Hmm? What are you doing?”

 

“Oh, just trying to figure out what's going on here. It's probably pointless, but I want to do _something_ that’ll contribute to the group. Or something like that…”

 

“It’s not a bad idea. We probably just don’t have any good leads yet.”

 

“Kinda pointless, right?”

 

“Ah, I suppose, but I think we need to focus on what we can do now. At least, for the time being. Live in the present and all that, aha?”

 

“Sure. So… Monika, how are you holding up?”

 

“I’m alright, although Iactually expected to be the one leading the group. I used to run the Debate Club back at my regular high school. It got pretty large, too. But, it seems like Misha and Shizune know what they’re doing.”

 

“Yeah. I wouldn't mind if our group were a bit more calm though.”

 

I pleasantly chatted with Monika for a while. It was a good way to relax from my investigating. The lounge was the perfect room for it too. She’s right, even if things are crazy, the best thing we can do is enjoy the good times we have.

But, nevertheless, my mind wanders back to the enigmas at hand…

 

“You know, speaking of our time at high school, a few of the Yamaku girls mentioned memories of the school.”

 

“Hm… I had thought of that too. Hey, Hanako?”

 

Hanako jumped in her seat, dropped her book, hastily grabbed it and held it just below her eyes. It looked like she would rather do… literally anything else, but responded, “Y-yes?”

 

“We were wondering, what do you remember of Yamaku?”

 

Hanako shook a little. She forced her eyes shut. Then, she began slowly taking deep breaths.

 “The- the last I remember was… ne-near the end of my last y-ear. I did-didn’t really talk to a-anyone, but I remember Lilly be-being friends with me. Shizune and Misha were… in a class with me too.”

 

Monika thought for a minute.

 

“Hmm… interesting. Thank you, Hanako!”

 

Hanako let out a sigh of relief as if she had just escaped near death, then retreated to the safety of her book.

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

Dinner soon arrived, and the three of us dispersed. I elected to sit with Sayori, Hisao, and Yuri again. Hisao seems not to notice me as he eyes someone further down the room.

 

“Hi MC!”

 

“Oh, hello.”

 

“You make any progress on your _investigation_?” Sayori beams at me, then looks back to her plate.

 

I think contemplatively for a moment, “Maybe? I don't think so, but I have at least a moderate understanding of the first floor, save the locked rooms.”

 

Yuri speaks up, “I've been pondering our situation more as well. Monokuma appears to be playing his cards awfully close to his chest.”

 

Sayori swallows a mouthful of food. She looks about to speak, but Shizune and Misha soon rise.

 

“Hello again, everyone! Shizune has an important announcement~ Siichan and I bravely ventured on an intel mission and have insight into Monokuma's villainous plans! Wahaha~ okay, we just asked him.” Misha's tone then shifted to surprisingly serious, as she looked to Shizune who signed her what to say.

 “Some time tomorrow, Monokuma will arrive with a motive to trick one of us into committing murder. We simply cannot let this happen! Whatever this motive may be, Siichan pleads for us all to stand strong! If we all trust each other, there is nothing Monokuma can do to—”

 

And then, Natsuki stood up from her seat.

 

“ _And why the hell would we do that?_ ”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Well, I don't know about you guys, but I have no reason to trust anybody here. I don't wanna be the idiot who gets betrayed and dies.”

 

Misha just stared at her, holding a confounded expression. Natsuki, hands on her hips, scanned the room trapped in an uncomfortable silence. It was as if someone had loudly proclaimed an incredibly unfunny joke, met with no laughter whatsoever.

But over at the side table, a boy with large circular glasses flipped his large scarf over his shoulder. Kenji spoke calmly,

 

“Hey dudes, I don't wanna worry anyone, but I've been investigating over the past few days and I have suspicions that…  ...there could be a female among our midst.”

 

Natsuki stood dumbfounded. Shizune and Misha had equal looks of bewilderment, and this sentiment was shared by most of the room. All except Hisao, who quietly swore to himself.

 

Natsuki raised an eyebrow, “You… you know our group is mostly girls, right?”

 

“MOSTLY? Dear god, there must be even more than I thought. We can’t trust ANYONE! You sure dude? Damn. You must be more cunning than I thought to have found out so soon.”

 

Hisao jumped into the fray and stood up too, “Hell yeah he is! He’s involved in multiple, uh… covert operations around the globe through his, er… ultimate talent to disguise himself as a woman. Yeah. Natsuki has been able to pretty much keep all the feminists in check since day one here. I don’t think we have anything to fear, Kenji.”

 

“If you say so, man. Be safe. When the time comes, the code word is: Malaprop.”

 

And with that, Kenji, just as calm as before, turned on his heel and shifted away to the dorms, hands in his pockets. Misha clearly didn't know how to remedy the situation. The gears in Shizune's head turned slowly. Yuri glanced the confounded expression in the room, and explained,

 

“A malaprop is when a character misuses a word by confusing it for another one. It happens… in Shakespeare a bit. In case you er… didn't know.”

 

Yuri opted to not continue speaking. Natsuki sighed and strode off to her room. Lilly stood up and attempted to say something probably important but was swept away by Sayori's poking of Yuri for examples, Rin's outlandish speculations, Misha’s booming laughter, and Hanako's gripping of her leg. Hisao turned to me and whispered,

 

“I uh, told Kenji that this was a crossdressing convention full of guys so he wouldn't freak out so much. Please try to keep up the facade?”

 

Okay. I'm done for today.

 

“Maybe. I'm pretty tired, probably heading back to my room too.”

 

Sayori apparently heard me because she suddenly faced me, “Oh! Goodnight MC. See you tomorrow!”

 

“Night.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang, I wonder if the knife will be used. Hint hint. Or maybe I'm tricking you? Hmm....
> 
> And a motive? I wonder what it could be...


	4. Chapter 1: A Stab in the Dark (Day 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monokuma announces a motive! MC and Shizune go on an espionage mission, a glass panel breaks, and Kenji is beyond reason.

~~~~~~~~

 _Day 3 Begins_ —

~~~~~~~~

 

“Good morning everyone! It is now 7am. Please make your way to the cafeteria.”

 

I woke up to Monokuma's cheerful voice. I guess I should do what he says. Don't wanna die or anything. God, I'm tired. I push the beige covers off and sit up. I blink. Then I sluggishly start to stand. After rising, I take my feet off the soft carpet and get some shoes on. I don't really feel ready to leave, but whatever Monokuma's planning can't be that bad. Actually, I take that back. It probably is.

So, I sleepily trod to the cafeteria to find Monokuma standing atop the middle table, other similarly sleepy students filing in. The bear waited for everyone to assemble, then cleared his throat.

 

“Attention students! By now, you may have noticed that while some of your memories have been lost, you have retained memories of connections with people you knew before arriving here. Being the hormonal teenagers that you are, you guys have gotta developed… _romantic_ feelings for each other. Or worse! Uhuhuhu!”

 

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?”

 

From across the room, Kenji’s eyes flashed, deranged, behind his wide glasses, a sharp grimace across his face. He breathed deeply, his red and yellow scarf waving wildly.

 

“There is no way _I_ would fall prey to womanly deceits!”

 

But Monokuma continued as if nothing had happened, “For those of you with a full deck of cards, I shall reveal… your true feelings to everyone else! At dawn tomorrow, I will announce who it is that each of you fantasise about! All of them, from your schoolyard crushes to your unrequited loves. So if none of you want that to _happen_ … commit murder! Before dawn! Tomorrow!”

 

Monokuma calmly strode out to the entrance hall, but was stopped.

 

“That’s the motive? God. You really think that people will kill each other over _high school crushes?_ Most of us aren't _that_ stupid.” Natsuki folded her arms and scowled.

 

“Not just immature crushes, oh no! Any deep emotion! Anyone here you really hate or _really_ love. Just because it isn’t a strong motive for you in particular doesn’t mean it won’t be for somebody else. Upupu! So watch out! Roaaaar!”

 

Monokuma, growling, vanished off somewhere, leaving us all concerned and bewildered. Natsuki’s gotta be right though, right? She probably is, but… maybe I should watch my back anyways. I look around, seeing Sayori behind me looking flustered and worried. Hisao in the back wore a similar expression. Hanako was trying to will herself out of existence, gripping Lilly’s arm tightly. Lilly’s brow was furrowed, likely deep in thought. I don’t think either of those two would do anything bad to anyone. At least, if Monokuma’s right, not with this motive.

Continuing around the room, Kenji's face was burning with either embarrassment or fury, Natsuki similarly annoyed. Monika and Yuri were… looking away from everyone else, clearly perturbed. Shizune appeared confident, Misha amused at the whole thing. Rin displayed a blank expression, maybe bored?

 

Emi, with little difficulty, hopped up on a table and shouted, “Okay! If anyone wants to declare their love for me, you can do it now and I won’t judge! Promise!” Emi winked to the crowd.

 

Misha burst into clamorous laughter, easing my worries quite a bit. A handful of small chuckles similarly filled the room. What was Monokuma thinking with this one? Isn’t he supposed to be some big bad guy? Ha. After that ordeal, everyone else and I were very much ready for breakfast. Sayori especially, who scarfed down a plate of pancakes with a worried look on her face.

Nobody spoke for most of breakfast, save Shizune and Misha telling everyone not to worry about the motive. Despite the fact that I’m not too worried, many of the others seem perturbed.

 

“Hey, Sayori?”

 

“Mmf. Can’t talk, eating. Ehe.”

 

Okay then. Just me and my thoughts. Despite how cramped it should feel here, I find myself thinking to myself an awful lot. I let myself zone out for the rest of breakfast before returning to my dorm room.

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

Today felt understandably weird. Monokuma's killing game was just so weird juxtaposed with Yamaku's peaceful atmosphere. At least, it seemed peaceful to me. I'm not here with an actual disability.

The first weird thing was running into Shizune in the halls. Misha-less. She walked staring at her feet, but turned her gaze upwards as she approached. Quickly, her face lit up. She snatched my wrist and pulled me away.

 

“What? Hey!” I questioned to nobody in particular. The blue haired girl twisted open the door to… the supply closet? She stashed me inside, then yanked the door shut behind her. Still in the dark, she merely smiled knowingly to me before flicking the lightswitch on. The room was incredibly cramped, with just enough space to stand single file between black shelves of various objects. In one motion, Shizune swiped a notepad and pencil, then began scribbling. I tilted my head.

Is this the motive? Is Shizune… confessing to me!? I nervously looked around as she wrote. This can't be happening. I didn't really notice her that much before, and I barely saw her outside of meals. Shizune taps my chest and I face her. In her hand, she holds the open notepad with a few words on it.

 

‘I need to borrow your ears a covert espionage mission.’

 

Before I could ask, Shizune answered my questions by flipping the page.

 

‘You’ll be eavesdropping for me. Please write down anything interesting you can hear here. Our first target is Misha's dorm.’

 

Oh. Huh.

I nodded and Shizune motioned for me to follow. The two of us strode out at a fortunately slower pace. Espionage? Are we gonna be listening in on people? I think I remember something I read… act like you're supposed to be doing whatever you're doing and nobody will question you. Or just don't get caught. I tried my best to hold a straight face and followed Shizune through the blocky turning loop of hallway.

Soon enough, we reached the dorms and faced a wooden door. A small decorated nameplate proclaimed “Misha.” Shizune tossed me the notepad and pencil, which I just barely caught. She motioned for me to place my head against the door. Should we be doing this? It feels a little unethical, but chances are I'll probably hear nothing anyways. I decide to indulge her and crouch down, pressing my ear against the wood. Muffled voices conversed on the other side.

 

“No. I see what you're trying to do. Keep the hell away from her.”

 

“Making rash assumptions shows unintelligence, you know. Hm… Do you think have some right to her?”

 

“It was fine before you appeared. We don't want you here. Leave.”

 

“... ...So self-important. Your ego appears to have no bounds. It's no surprise she secretly hates you but is unfortunately forced to drag you around.”

 

“You won’t get to my head! Do you think I’m stupid?”

 

“I already stated my observations.”

 

“Why don't you go die, you passive aggressive bitch.”

 

…

 

That sounds bad. Shizune stares at me intently then points to the notebook. For the first time, I have an important decision to make. A decision I wouldn't even realize the repercussions of until much later. But we don't need more people fighting each other. I straighten my face and write on the paper.

 

‘I don't think I was supposed to hear that.’

 

Shizune crosses her arms and defiantly points back to the paper.

 

‘Someone was arguing. It feels wrong to intrude.’

 

Shizune pouts, but seeing that I won't budge, drops her expression for one of disappointment. She drags me down the dorm hall, stopping at yet another door.

Shizune points to the entrance to Lilly's room. I wonder why she's interested in Lilly? I raise an eyebrow at her, but she just directs me back to the door. Hopefully it's nothing bad. Reluctantly, I press an ear to the new door.

 

...

 

A slow, rolling voice filled my ears.

 

“Oh… Hisao, you really know what you're doing. Mmmm…”

 

I frantically blush and frantically jump away from the door, nearly falling over. Shizune sent me an intently curious look as if to ask 'what did you hear?’ I scribbled hastily,

 

'Lilly moaning Hisao's name?’

 

Shizune mirrored my reaction. Quickly, she frowned and shoved me further down the hall. Why did I agree to this again? Doesn't she normally get Misha to do this kinda stuff? Nervously, we stand at the entrance of Natsuki's room. Shizune writes in neat lettering,

 

'I'm a little suspicious of her. Listen to see if she's not there.’

 

We're gonna sneak into her room? That's a step up from just listening in. Shizune is the student council president though, and she seemed rather concerned. What if Natsuki really is planning something bad? Ear to the wood again, I focus my mind on sound. It sounds vacant.

‘Empty’

 

Shizune draws an excited, then mischievous expression, and springs into a sneaky stance. In one large step, she's right by me, rifling around in her skirt pocket. What is she doing?

Shizune conjures what looks like a key. I step back. Where'd she get Natsuki's room key? On closer inspection, it doesn't look like our individual room keys. It's bright gold, with a half-black half-white symbol in the middle. Could it be a master key? Where on Earth did she get that?

 

“What are you two doing?”

 

I jump, then slowly pivot one hundred and eighty degrees. Natsuki stands an inch from my face, with a hand on her hip and a dirty look. I poke Shizune's shoulder, who turns to look as well.

 

“Oh! Natsuki! Hi, we were just, uh—”

 

“Snooping around suspiciously? Not that I had high expectations, but that's _low_.”

 

Natsuki shoved her way past us and opened the door. “Stay the hell away from me.” She slammed the door shut.

Shizune slowly looks to me. She seems like she wants to be angry at something, but can't do so reasonably. Her face softened, and she held out the pad of paper.

 

‘Thanks anyways.’

 

“Oh, you're welcome I guess.”

 

I think she got the message, because Shizune throws me a grin and waves as she walks away. I guess we're partners in crime now. What did I hear in Misha's room? Should I have told Shizune? No… she and Misha are close, so if Misha wants her to know she'll tell her. Probably.

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

It was midday. Perhaps in another life, I could be enjoying a lunch break in the sun, sitting outside under stocky trees, cool wind combating the sun’s harsh waves. I'd hear Sayori say something equally dumb and hilarious and end up choking on my food. I'd gaze up and be able to see the sky, a beautiful blue dashed with bright white clouds. The air would rustle my hair. I'd close my eyes, able to actually relax.

Even though there’s no use thinking about could be, I still want to. Some may call it escapism, but I consider it hope. I hope that eventually we’ll make it out of here. Every day, I imagine a future where we’re all happy.

 

But for now, it’s midday. And everything was about to change. Because at midday on the third day of the Yamaku killing game, the shatter of glass could be faintly heard from the cafeteria. And shortly after, Emi's high-pitched scream echoed through the looping halls, permeating the school. And at midday, Hisao and I should have frantically ran to the museum.

 

...

 

But we didn’t. We, instead, let Emi come running to us. Emi burst into the cafeteria, and told us we needed to rush to the museum to see what had happened. Natsuki, Lilly, and Hanako, followed the noise and asked what the commotion was about. So us six left for the museum. I sprinted through the halls, quickly rounded the corner and skid to a halt.

I stood in the stone doorway with Emi at my side, the others in pursuit behind us. I wasn’t sure why Hisao wasn’t running, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. Because across the room, between the curtains, just past the middle exhibit, the knife’s display case stood smashed open.

And the knife was nowhere to be found.

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

I imagined the sun setting as my digital clock blinked 10:22pm. The requested meeting time for Kenji's covert conference. Between this and Shizune's thing, today has been wrapped in secrets so far.

I stood, slowly, shaking out my asleep legs. Fortunately, I'm used to staying up this late. I slid my room's chair back under the desk, then made my way to leave. The door clicked behind me.

Curiously, I spotted somebody at the other side of the hallway. The purple figure of Yuri nervously looked around across the hall, before her hair swished around the opposite corner. What's she doing out this late at night? Although, I guess I'm one to judge.

 

I strode to Kenji's door. I stopped, eye to eye with a slot. I knocked. The metal panel slid open and Kenji peered at me. “Password?”

 

“Uh, malaprop?”

 

The slot slid shut. I heard multiple deadbolts clicking, then the door unlocking, and then he flung it open. Kenji stood casually in the doorway, a hand in his pocket and another gesturing.

 

“Oh hey, man! Glad you got here safe. The council awaits your presence.”

 

I saw Hisao sitting further in, who nervously waved to me. Hopefully he'll continue to be skilled at mediating Kenji. I stepped further into the room, and Kenji promptly re-locked the door.

The room was surprisingly clean. An overflowing bin of soda cans sadly sat in the corner, and a number of chairs sat facing a wall, but it was otherwise less cluttered than I expected. I took a seat next to Hisao, who appeared more annoyed than unusual. Kenji confidently strode in front of us, looking as if he were about to give a lecture. His glasses flashed as he swiftly pushed them up with one hand and pulled a piece of string with the other.

And then I realized why the room appeared clean. I hadn't looked up.

In an instant, maps, charts, figures, and diagrams descended from the ceiling, surrounding us. They all appeared handmade, too. Hisao scowled,

 

“Kenji, what—”

 

“No worries! All will be explained shortly.” Kenji reached around behind himself, swayed backwards, and produced a metal stick. He pulled one end until it was a few feet long, then slapped the first display. “THIS, dudes, is a map of Yamaku Academy as we know it. Pretty impressive? Yeah, it is.”

 

I actually consider copying it down into the investigative journal. The proportions are a little off, and a few names on the dorm rooms are missing, but I can fix that.

 

“You guys see it yet? The hidden clue in the design? It took me a while to see it too. Don't worry, I'll spell it out for you guys.” Kenji proceeded to trace the hallways on the map. “Eight. A brave architect must have left us this message. What's the number for? Well that's easy.”

 

With a loud thwack, Kenji directed us to the second diagram, coated with various numbers.

 

“Eight is equal to two to the third power. The two obviously represents the two balls that form the scrotum.” Hisao snorted at this, but Kenji continued on like a Greek philosopher educating his students, “Any number to the third power is known as cubing it, right?”

 

Kenji stared at us for a moment. “Uh, yeah.” I responded.

 

Kenji flicked around and slapped a third paper, which appeared to be a sentence diagram. “Now, Monokuma's name can be dissected into two parts: Mono, as in Mononucleosis, and Kuma. See what I'm getting at?”

 

Kenji once again looked expectant, then steamrolled on anyways. “Mono-Kuma. First letter of each part is M and K. MK. Project MK-Ultra. And as you guys surely know, that means mind control.”

 

Next to me, Hisao mouths the phrase “what the hell.” I'm inclined to agree.

 

“Who uses mind control? Feminists. Who invented mind control? Me. It's clear that the Feminists kidnapped me, you guys, and—” Kenji sniffled and shed a single tear, “those poor crossdressers.”

I wonder when Hisao is gonna break it to him.

“But that's the thing. I was talking to one of them earlier. The crispy one.” Poor Hanako. “And I asked him to perform the secret male handshake—but instead, he just stood completely still. And then ran away. All the puzzle pieces should be coming together now.”

 

Hisao and I sat dumbfounded. Kenji pointed to a final… pie chart, each quarter with a different symbol: one a box, one a brain, one of two circles, and one skirt. I don't think Kenji knows how pie charts work.

 

“The FEMINISTS are using MIND CONTROL via a CUBE on the SCROTUM of the CROSSDRESSERS to prevent them from allying with us. It all makes sense!”

 

No. No it doesn't.

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

Kenji continued raving until nearly 11 o’ clock at night. It was at that point that Hisao descended from the heavens as a savior.

 

“Cool man, but I'm afraid I gotta run. I left my toaster on. And MC was gonna help me clean it, right?”

 

“W—Yeah, right.”

 

“See you around then dudes! Keep up the good fight.”

 

The two of us weaved between the items hanging from the ceiling and out the door. I breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Hisao.

 

“Thanks, I really owe you one.”

 

“Don't mention it. And I assume you'll help me out if I ever need to clean a toaster?”

 

“Anytime.”

 

Hisao chuckled, then waved as he opened the door to his own dorm and disappeared inside. Completely exhausted, I decide that it's probably best to turn in.

 

If only our banter had lasted a little longer, maybe I would have seen them. Maybe I could have stopped it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we got a motive. This one is a bit simple, but the later ones will get progressively more intense, so it's gotta start smaller. That being said, this motive will most definitely impact the trial. When that time comes.


	5. Chapter 1: A Stab in the Dark (Day 4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sayori has something to say. Shizune and Misha lead the group.

~~~~~~~~

 _Day 4 Begins_ —

~~~~~~~~

 

I awoke to my body being gently yet forcefully shaken. I grabbed at the sheets, trying to steady myself, and whoever it was released their hold. Eyes still blurry, I tried to make out my assailant.

 

“Sayori?”

 

“Ehe… sorry it's so early. But I have something important to tell you.”

 

I looked to the clock. 6:30am. It's almost time for Monokuma's announcement. And… the motive. Sayori smiles sympathetically, waiting for me to sit up. Which I do, slowly.

What could she want to tell me? She worriedly sits in my desk chair. I haven't seen her worried before often. Whatever this is, it must be important. Her eyes focus down on her feet. It looks like she doesn't want to go first.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“So, MC, you know how we've been friends a really long time?”

 

I nod, and she continues, “I know that we’ve grown kinda distant over the years, but now I’ve realized that… you mean a lot to me, MC. And I don’t want to lose our friendship.”

 

“Thank you, Sayori. I… I care about you too.”

 

She smiles, then takes a deep breath, in and out. “Well, recently I've been feeling—”

 

***BAM BAM BAM***

 

Frantic pounding on the door prompts the both of us to jump. I quickly rise and head to the door, Sayori trailing behind me. But the visitor on the other side flings it open before I do. I guess Sayori left it unlocked.

Emi, obviously shaken, gestures us to follow. I grab the Yamaku investigative journal. I have a feeling I might need it. Emi's expression of horror persuades us to exit the room, shutting the door behind us. Emi mumbles,

 

“It's bad—it’s really bad—you need to see—we need to alert everyone—”

 

We follow Emi, and the three of us reach the entrance to the cafeteria. I round the corner at a sluggish pace of dread. I gaze behind to see Sayori and Emi nervously shuffling along. I guess I'm going first then. I take a deep breath. In. And out. Diving straight into the deep end, I step into the cafeteria.

 

…

 

Everything blurs once more as my eyes snap to the desperate visage of a mangled, twisted sight. Blood drips into a lake beneath the center table where Yuri's distorted body lays strewn across it, shredded arms clutching at nothing, legs bent awkwardly over the bench, an open gash on the high of her back cascading crimson across the black diorama. Her face is shrouded by hair hanging limply, lifeless.

 

***Ding dong bing bong***

 

“A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time has passed, a class trial will begin!”

 

What… what the fuck?

 

The stampede of footsteps came to a halt. A few screams permeated the room. I stood vacantly, my eyes glued to the macabre sight. What… who? Who would kill Yuri? Why… why did she have to die… in such a gruesome way… this—this can't be—

It had only been four days. And somebody's hands had already been bloodied. And Yuri… her irreplaceable life had been so quickly stolen away. I think I fell to my knees at some point. A pain crawled its way up my body, settling in my chest and head. All because… all because of that evil bear. To think we underestimated him! But now—now…

 

“Upupu! The killing game has begun!” Monokuma's grinning visage emerged into the cafeteria, laughing all the way. “Now, this is a very special case, so don't let it go to waste by slacking off! In your student handbooks you should all find the latest edition of the Monokuma File! It should help you in your investigation, which begins now!”

 

My body grew numb. My eyes were stuck scanning the body up and down, screams echoing in the back of my mind.

 

***

 

I returned to reality with my body being gently but forcefully shaken. My eyes opened to be met with something pink and angry. My legs felt unstable and shaky, but I got back to my feet slowly.

 

“C'mon stupid, wake up.”

 

Natsuki, despite her harsh tone, waited for me to get my bearings before she continued. I inspected the room… exactly as it was before… with a sight I'd rather avoid atop the center table.

 

“You're my detective partner.”

 

“What?”

 

“Ah, so you really don't know what happened. While you were out, the deaf dictator and her airhead accomplice employed Hisao to investigate the murder. Monokuma made an announcement too.”

 

“Murder… Yuri…”

 

“Yeah. She's gone.”

 

Natsuki looked around the room, almost guiltily. She balled her hands into fists.

 

“If we wanna survive Monokuma's class trial, we need to figure out what the hell happened! In case our _benevolent_ student council turns out to be less than trustworthy, I'm forming a vigilante detective team. It's not like I need the help or anything, but you can join. Y’know, if you want to.”

 

I nodded. Looking around the room, Shizune and Misha were supervising surprisingly confidently. Sayori, Emi, and Rin huddled together, all somewhat shell-shocked. Hisao and Monika looked over… Yuri's body. The mood was somber. I got the feeling we should stay out of the way.

But Natsuki had already thrown herself into the fray. She was closely inspecting something on the opposite side of the room, looking very focused. I nervously paced across the floor, avoiding the center, and met back up with her. A trail of bloody shoe-prints shakily ambled to where Yuri's body lay. The trail originated from back in the hall, where Natsuki was closely following it.

Her head perked up upon my arrival.

 

“Huh. You actually came with.”

 

Natsuki eyed me up and down, a hand on her chin. I suddenly felt rather self-conscious. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, Natsuki shared with me her findings,

 

“These footprints lead from the library to Yuri's body on the table. A simple, yet important piece of evidence.”

 

“You think?”

 

“Of course. Yuri clearly didn't… ...die immediately, and it leads us to the library, where we’ll _obviously_ find more clues. Now come on, you gotta do some work  too.”

 

 _Truth Bullet:_ **[Bloody Footprints]**

 

Following along closely, we came upon the library. Natsuki pushed open the blue double doors, and my eyes took in the bizzare arrangement. Continuing beyond the door, the footprints took a direct route to the table, where blood was pooled around the chair. The two of us stepped in, careful not to tread on the blood.

Natsuki carefully examined the blood, while I went to the table. The table itself was clear except for a single item: the Risk box. Strange. I continued back through the shelves, eyeing row after row of books. I thought back to Lilly's mention of Braille books.

While usually uncommon, I'd imagine I could find at least a few of them, considering what this school is designed for. I don't think it's important to the case though. I'm about to turn back when I spot something on the floor behind the back shelf. I walk over and take a look. On the floor lay a risk board, some dice, and numerous small wooden pieces. What are these doing here? And if they're not in the box, what was it doing on the table?

 

“Hey MC, come look at this.”

 

Natsuki calls me back to the library's entrance. She's crouched down, focused on the blood staining the carpet. “See the footprints? They go from the chair straight for the door in a diagonal line. But a few feet from the door, there's a tiny blood stain in the middle of the floor.”

 

 _Truth Bullet:_ **[Small Bloodstain]**

 

“Weird. What could have caused that?”

 

“No clue. You find anything yet?”

 

“I've got an interesting theory.”

 

Connecting a few dots, I stand up and walk to the table. Natsuki curiously follows. Using both hands, I lift the lid of the Risk box and lay it upside-down on the table. Inside the box, we find an audio recorder that looks to be taken from the AV room. It's big and blocky, with a few clicky buttons on the front. And on one side, there are visible scratches.

Natsuki raises an eyebrow and throws me an expectant look. I cautiously press the play button on the front.

 

“AAAAAA _EEEEEEEE”_

 

An ear-piercing wail fills the room, I frantically slap the button again, turning it off. It sounded like a person screaming. No, not just any person. Emi. She's probably connected to the case.

 

 _Truth Bullet:_ **[Audio Recorder]**

 

Suddenly, I'm struck with an idea. I pull out the investigative journal. It looks like I might finally get some use out of it. I reach into my pocket. Darn, forgot a pen. I look around for one. There should be pens or something around in the library, right?

 

“Hey Natsuki, you have a pen?”

 

She doesn't respond. I turn to see her staring at something. It's just the cardboard lid of the Risk box I set on the table. I look over her shoulder. Then I see it.

In big, messy and desperate lettering, there's writing inside  the lid of the box.

 

'MISHA MURDERED ME’

 

…

 

 _Truth Bullet:_ **[Risk Box]**

 

What… what the hell? Misha? Misha… it can't be. With a loud slam, the door behind us opens. A bewildered Emi leaps into the library, followed by a drowsy Rin. “Why the hell did I hear my _own_ voice!?” We're too awestruck to respond. “Hello? Care to explain?”

The two of them walk up behind us. A loud gasp escapes Emi’s lips, as I assume she sees the message in the box. We all merely stand there, wasting time as we all try to comprehend what’s in front of our eyes. The only sound in the room is Rin shuffling her feet. Misha killed Yuri… why? There’s no way… it can’t be… But as much as I don’t want to believe it, it has to be true. Natsuki frowns, eyes darting from the message to the audio recorder to the table. She mutters, “This doesn’t make any sense…”

The door is flung open once more. Natsuki looks back to see Hisao enter, followed by a frustrated Shizune and Misha. Natsuki jabs my side and motions for us to leave. As we leave the library, arguing breaks out behind us. Smart idea to leave when we did.

 

“Alright, I've got a lot of theories. I'll bring them up at the trial, and you'll back me so people will actually listen.”

 

“Natsuki? Wonderful, I was searching for you.” Lilly stood, smiling solemnly. I responded,

 

“Oh, Lilly. What is it?”

 

“I found something possibly relevant to the case. I'm skeptical of… the Student Council President's methods, so I thought I should bring it to you. Well, more specifically, bring you to it.”

 

We followed Lilly, who took us away from the commotion arising in the library and down the hall. Three sets of footsteps and the tapping of a cane sounded our journey. I must have underestimated her. Lilly is surprisingly capable and confident. I mentally kick myself, but soon lose the train of thought as we enter the tea room.

Hanako sits at a white plastic table, a book in her hands, as well as a sheet of paper. Knowing her,  she’s probably using the room as a sanctuary from everything happening outside. It didn't take me long to realize why. The tea room has a nice, peaceful atmosphere, despite us all being trapped in the school. I could imagine light spilling in through the window, if it wasn't plated up. To the left of the room, I spotted a miniature kitchen set. A stove and refrigerator stood adjacent to a countertop. Lilly brushed her hand along the counter and stopped at a metal try.

 

“Tea? That's your big clue?” Natsuki snarkily reacted.

 

Frowning, Lilly answered, “I didn't expect you to realize its significance. But, despite your attitude, I am inclined to assist you. We didn't make this tea, and I am fairly certain it wasn't here yesterday. It's already cold, indicating that it's been here a while. Additionally, there are three tea cups.”

 

Three tea cups, already cold… hmm… was this tea made last night? Whoever was in the tea room last night is likely an important witness. Who could have been meeting in the tea room? Could it have been Yuri?

“Three cups… from last night… does that mean that three people met up during the night of the murder?”

 

“Precisely.”

 

 _Truth Bullet:_ **[Cold Tea]**

 

“Um… ex- excuse me…”

 

Lilly turned to the sound and warmly smiled, “Yes, Hanako?”

 

“I.. I found—this… in the tr-trash…”

 

Hanako threw a scrap of paper onto the table, then ducked behind her book. She nervously peered over the top. I approached the table as non threateningly as I could. I picked up the wrinkled page. It was a bit torn, but I could make out most of it.

 

‘ _... …But I think you already know how I feel. With the time limit speeding nearer like a train, I would rather tell you myself. Or rather, confess. Shizune, I love you… …_ ’

 

Oh.

 

 _Truth Bullet:_ **[Love Letter]**

 

***

 

“Alright, there's one last place I want to check.”

 

Natsuki led me to the museum. Hisao appeared to be resting against the wall. And across the room, over the display, between the curtains, stood the knife case. The glass was shattered, and on a metal stand, lay the knife, perfectly spotless.

 

“Now that _is_ strange. Whoever killed Yuri cleaned off the knife. And then just lazily put it back here.”

 

 _Truth Bullet:_ **[The Knife]**

 

While Natsuki looked at the knife, I walked over to Hisao. He looked up at my approach, then smiled.

 

“How's investigating with Shizune and Misha?”

 

Hisao laughed dryly, “Tiring. ‘Shiichan’s’ been on my case about being sure to do this right. I dunno why she's do insistent. But… she _is_ right. How about you?”

 

“Natsuki isn't the most… pleasant person to be around. Ehe. But, she is surprisingly clever.”

 

“Hey, actually, I've got something to tell you. Shizune used this weird key to open up Yuri's room for us to check. And we found this.”

 

Hisao retrieved a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. I quickly unfolded it.

 

'Yuri, we need to talk. You know why. Meet me in the library at 11 o’ clock pm.’

 

 _Truth Bullet:_ **[Note to Yuri]**

 

Now that's weird… that doesn't match up with something I saw. I hand the note back to Hisao.

 

“Odd. I was sure I saw Yuri leaving her dorm around 10:22.”

 

“What?”

 

“Yeah, when I went to Kenji's thing. You don't think that's important, do you?”

 

“I think it could be a vital clue…”

 

 _Truth Bullet:_ **[MC's Account]**

 

***

 

Monokuma had called everyone to the entrance hall. I guess this is it. I want to be as prepared as I can, so I quickly pull out my handbook to check one last thing.

 

‘Monokuma File 1

_Victim: Yuri_

_Time of Death: Around midnight._

_Location: Cafeteria Table_

_Cause of Death: Yuri bled to death from a stab wound to the back. Additionally, multiple lacerations are located on her arms.’_

 

 _Truth Bullet:_ **[Monokuma File 1]**

 

“Hey, MC?” I turn to see Sayori standing at my side. She weakly smiles up me, although it’s clear she’s been crying. “Yeah?” I respond. She steps forward and wraps her arms around me. After a moment, I reciprocate.

It’s understandable that she’s so spooked. Honestly, I probably would be as well, but… as morbid as it sounds, this killing game has given me a new drive. I need to protect Sayori. I need to be strong. I need to give this trial my all! For everyone!

 

“Upupupu! Ah, what a heartfelt moment. Reminds me of when I was just a cub…”

 

We both jump out of the hug. My head jerks to see Monokuma swooning in front of us. Everyone else seems to be gathered around the Cafeteria, where Yuri’s body still lays. I hear a ding, and the elevator doors crawl open. The out of order sign drifts to the floor.

 

“Aaaaaalright everyone! Let’s get this party started!”

 

We all pack into the elevator, after which Monokuma follows us. He hits a button on the panel, and we begin our descent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha!  
> So, who do you think is the culprit?
> 
> Sorry about the delay, I was honestly a little burnt out for a while, but finally finished writing up the investigation.


End file.
